Alicia Vikander Is Lara Croft In The New 'Tomb Raider' & It's The Best Next Step For Her Career

If there's one actress who is everywhere these days, it's The Danish Girl star Alicia Vikander. 27-year-old Vikander may not have played the titular character in that film, but she did take home a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance. It's an impressive feat for a woman whom, only two short years ago, was a relatively unknown actress. Of course, the days of Vikander not being recognized in the streets are long over — and her new role is proof of that. According to Variety, Vikander has been cast as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider reboot, and it's a career move that makes perfect sense for this rising star.

Though an initial casting report from The Hollywood Reporter stated that the Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens actress Daisy Ridley was "in talks" for the part that Angelina Jolie popularized in the 2001 film, Vikander was the film's final choice. For Vikander, it's a natural next step to show her range. Though the actress may have swept up an Oscar for the period drama The Danish Girl, one of her first major roles was in the science fiction film Ex Machina. Vikander is no stranger to action films — she also starred in 2015's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. — it's her upcoming film that may have convinced Tomb Raider producers to give her a shot as the lead in their action-heavy franchise. Vikander will join Matt Damon in the next movie in the Bourne franchise, titled Jason Bourne, and it's the perfect film predecessor for when her own version of Lara Croft is headlining Tomb Raider.